Xiaomi announces Mi 9 worldwide release date and price

Expanding from its Chinese release

After launching its Mi 9 flagship smartphone in China a week prior, Xiaomi has announced it will be coming to worldwide markets at its press conference at MWC 2019 in Barcelona.

The Mi 9 device, succeeding the Mi 8, has some pretty impressive features, including its powerful cameras, but it remains to be seen if the Mi 9 will help Xiaomi achieve its goal of finally breaking into Western markets.

Perhaps the most appealing aspect of the Mi 9 is its tri-lens rear setup, which consists of a 48MP main camera, 16MP ultra-wide and 12MP telephoto lens. These are joined by a 20MP selfie-cam, which seems surprisingly powerful for a front-facing snapper.

One novelty of the device is its curved back, as opposed to most handsets which have flat rears, which provides a unique feel as well as better protection for the phone 173g, 7,61mm phone.

Faster wireless charging

The device's 3,300mAh battery is nothing particularly special compared to the rest of the market, but its 20W wireless charging seems rather useful (and speedy), particularly given that most devices have 15W wireless charging as standard currently.

The phone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset, the latest processor that also powers some versions of the Samsung Galaxy S10 series. The Mi 9 also features Game Turbo mode, which when activated boosts performance and framerate while playing mobile games.

The Mi 9 will launch in three colors - 'Ocean Blue', 'Lavender Violet' (which looks red to us) and 'Piano Black'. The curved rear of the device causes a rainbox effect, according to Xiaomi, giving it a funky look.

You can pre-order the Mi 9 immediately - from Spain and Italy, where it'll release on February 28. We don't know the release date elsewhere, other than a cryptic "very soon" from Xiaomi, but will keep you updated when we find out.

The device starts at €449 (converts to around $500, £390, AU$715) for the 64GB memory device and costs €499 (roughly $550, £430, AU$800) if you want 128GB internal storage. We currently only know the prices in Euros, so the final cost in other currencies may be different upon release.

MWC (Mobile World Congress) is the world's largest showcase for the mobile industry, stuffed full of the newest phones, tablets, wearables and more. TechRadar is reporting live from Barcelona all week to bring you the very latest from the show floor. Head to our dedicated MWC 2019 hub to see all the new releases, along with TechRadar's world-class analysis and buying advice about your next phone.